Aquaculture and Florfenicol Resistance in Salmonella enterica Typhimurium DT104
2008
Aquaculture and Florfenicol Resistance in Salmonella
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Peter Smith
Primary Institution: National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
Hypothesis
The flo gene that encodes resistance in Salmonella enterica Typhimurium DT104 emerged in Japanese aquaculture and transferred horizontally to DT104.
Conclusion
The data indicate that the flo gene was present in terrestrial bacteria long before it was detected in multidrug-resistant DT104, suggesting that aquacultural use of florfenicol did not contribute to the emergence of this gene.
Supporting Evidence
- The flo gene was present in DT104 strains isolated in the United States in 1985, seven years before it was found in Japan.
- Florfenicol resistance in Japanese aquaculture was first reported in 1992.
- Data from a study showed 100% susceptibility to florfenicol in strains isolated from 1989 to 1991.
Takeaway
Scientists looked at how a gene that makes bacteria resistant to a medicine called florfenicol appeared in fish farms in Japan, and they found that it was actually around much earlier in other bacteria.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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